Singletary

Sorry for the scant posts of late. I had a large project due unrelated to the blog and had done three shifts of weekend work lately. Also, I was scheduled to appear on 49ersparadise.com and 49erswebzone.com for a web chat Wednesday night. That’s been re-scheduled for next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

As far as the motivation for the coach’s clinic, many NFL team’s coaching staffs run them. In Baltimore when Mike Nolan was there, he said their clinic brought in 500 people. Is there a public relations element? Possibly, but after attending the clinic and watching the 49ers coaches talk about the influence of high school coaches in their lives, it seemed valuable.

As many of you know, because of its intensive nature, football, more than any other game, can shape young lives. Particularly for those kids without a male influence in their household.

SINGLETARY’S MESSAGE: The 49ers linebackers said one day a year ago that reporters should get a chance to hear linebackers and assistant head coach Mike Singletary speak. He addresses the entire team often and his speeches are memorable. Singletary knows when to pause, when to inflect, when to speak in a hushed tone. He’s captivating.

When he addressed the coaches last weekend, he spoke about the influences of his coaches all the way back to Pop Warner. After finally convincing his mother to let me play, he joined the team late, and he received equipment that was too big for him. He said his first assignment was to tackle a kid named, “Cookie.” He did everything wrong, and Cookie ran him over, cleating him in the process.

But the coach noticed a willing spirit and Singletary was put at middle linebacker, the position he played for the rest of his football life.

“All my coaches were encouraging,” Singletary said, and he said without them he wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl, appeared in Pro Bowls or been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He stays in touch with three or four of his former coaches, including Buddy Ryan. He recently flew to Arizona, where Ryan was, and spoke with him for 45 minutes before flying back again. Singletary said it was worth it.

He also said that he was on a plane flight about a decade ago and starting talking to the man next to him. They talked business, family and finally got to football. At that point, the man broke down.

“I hate football,” he told Singletary, “Absolutely hate it.”

He told Singletary about scars left from the demeaning, know-nothing coaches of his youth. For Singletary, it emphasized how influential a coach can be, particularly in football, and how the game can impact lives.

He ended his talk with these remarks:

“Ask yourselves, ‘What are you doing? Are you blessing or cursing? Whatever you’re doing, you’re writing it down on their hearts. Make them better, build them up and prepare them for their next coach.”

THE CLINIC’S VALUE: The 49ers’ staff has a little break now before the beginning of three weeks of organized team activity practices in June, so the staff wasn’t taking any time away from their 49ers’ duties. The clinic also occurred on a weekend.

Also, the clinic gave coaches an opportunity to connect with professional coaches. And even though the 49ers haven’t experienced a winning season under Nolan, this staff is coaching at the pinnacle – the NFL. They are among the best at what they do.